I served as Li Bai's page.

I had no choice but to change the subject, saying in a low voice, "That's not quite right."

Zhang Shuming said, "Let's not stare at the moonlight. How many secrets could a mere pageboy possibly hold? Tonight, we gather under this moonlight, far from the troubles of the world. Let's call ourselves the Six Recluses of Zhuxi."

Li Bai clapped his hands and praised, "We've chosen a great name for our group."

Han Zhun, Pei Zheng, Kong Chaofu, and Tao Mian all expressed their approval.

I said, "Of course, this name will be remembered for eternity."

Li Bai said, "Whether or not to leave a legacy is not our concern for now. To celebrate the birth of the Six Recluses, I will make a fool of myself." After saying this, Li Bai drew his sword from his waist and began to wield it with great skill. He used all the skills he had learned on General Mountain. The sword flew up and down, and wherever it passed, it left a straight line, dazzling our eyes. Zhang Shuming and the others kept clapping and cheering for Li Bai.

After Li Bai finished his performance, Kong Chaofu took over. Under the moonlight by the campfire, six famous figures from Donglu vividly portrayed their colorful lives.

I stood aside, enjoying the view, but being rather ignorant, I dared not utter a word for fear of spoiling Liu Yi's enjoyment. It wasn't until midnight, when the moon was about to disappear behind a layer of clouds, that Liu Yi finally collapsed from exhaustion by the campfire, resting with their heads on each other's laps.

I strained to keep my eyes open and shouted, "Gentlemen, get up and go to bed. It's late and the dew is heavy; don't make yourselves sick."

Han Zhun said, "Yuehua, go to sleep. We are all physically strong, so there's nothing to fear. Besides, the bonfire you prepared for us has already got our blood pumping."

The others chimed in, "Yuehua, go to sleep. We're going to play all night."

"Then I won't stay with you. Remember to add more firewood to the fire so you won't get cold," I said.

Li Bai waved at me and said, "You're getting more and more long-winded. Go to sleep."

I rubbed my eyes, went inside, washed up, and went back to my room, falling asleep immediately. When I woke up, it was already broad daylight. I got up and went to the yard; every door was open. Hadn't they gone back inside to sleep?

I went outside; the campfire had gone out, and the six men were nowhere to be seen. I went into the kitchen and saw a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun on the table. I figured it must have been for me. After washing up, I sat down to eat. I had only taken two bites when I heard voices outside. Holding the steamed bun in one hand and the porridge in the other, I went out and saw Zhang Shuming and Han Zhun each carrying a rabbit. I asked:

"Did you go hunting so early?"

"This is all thanks to your young master. Not only is he a good poet, but he's also quite skilled with his sword. He struck the rabbit right in the neck. Here you go, it's up to you how you handle these two rabbits." Uncle Zhang said, handing me the two rabbits.

I took the rabbit, went to the kitchen, cleaned its fur, then went to the vegetable garden behind the house and picked a few scallions. When I returned to the front of the house, I saw Li Bai and the others playing chess around the stone table.

Seeing me return, Pei Zheng asked, "Yuehua, how about we make roast rabbit with those two rabbits?"

Kong Chaofu said, "Alright, I'll roast it. Yuehua, go and prepare the firewood for me."

"Mr. Kong, where do you want to bake?" I asked.

"Let's roast it right outside here." Kong Chaofu led Pei Zheng to move several large stones, stack them into the shape of a stove, cut two bamboo stalks, skewered the rabbit on them, and placed them on the stones, waiting for me to start a fire.

"It's still dry before noon, are we going to start baking already?" I asked.

"Of course, roasting rabbit should be done slowly over a low flame so that it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and delicious," Kong Chaofu said.

"Is there such a thing?" I brought over some wood, lit it, and placed it under the rabbit to create a small fire, slowly roasting it. Kong Chaofu stood beside the rabbit, occasionally rolling it around. After a long time, the aroma of the rabbit wafted out, and the people playing chess gathered around.

I went to the kitchen to get the seasonings, and Kong Chaofu slowly spread the seasonings on the rabbit, sprinkling it with chili powder and chopped green onions. The rabbit was roasted. I turned off the fire, and Kong Chaofu placed the roasted rabbit on a plate on the stone table. The six of us then began to tear the rabbit apart without any hesitation.

"Yuehua, go and get the wine cups," Li Bai called out.

I went to the kitchen to get wine glasses. A whole rabbit was already distributed among the six people. I filled everyone's glasses with wine, and Li Bai handed me a rabbit leg, saying:

"We've saved a rabbit leg for you."

"Thank you." I took the rabbit leg and sat down on the stone bench next to me to eat it.

After lunch, I asked Kong Chaofu, "I heard that Zhuxi got its name from the patterns on the rocks that resemble bamboo leaves. Is that true?"

Kong Chaofu said, "Please follow me."

Kong Chaofu walked in front, and I followed behind, heading towards the stream. Li Bai and the others saw us and shouted:

"We want to go too."

Our group of seven arrived at the stream, which flowed westward around the mountainside. Kong Chaofu pointed to the exposed rocks and said to me:

"Moonlight, take a close look at these rocks. Is there anything special about them?"

I waded across the stream, passed through the peach groves on the riverbank where buds were about to bloom, and came to the foot of the cliff. I touched the exposed rocks with my hands, and after the dust on the surface was wiped away, the entire rock was like a painting imprinted with bamboo leaves.

"This is amazing! No wonder people call it Bamboo Creek. It's true that bamboo leaves grow on rocks." I said in amazement, stroking the rocks.

"I also wandered here and heard the locals tell me about the origin of Zhuxi, which is why I decided to live in seclusion here. It took me a whole year to build this wooden house, and another whole year to make the area around it look like it is now. Hard work pays off," said Kong Chaofu.

As Li Bai stroked the rocks, marveling at the wonders of nature, he praised Kong Chaofu, saying:

"Brother Kong, you have good judgment. I've decided to stay here. Let fame and fortune, loyalty to the country—let them all go with the wind. We should live in the present and fully enjoy the gifts of nature."

"Brother Taibai is right. We, the Six Recluses of Zhuxi, can indulge in the beauty of nature here without any worries," Pei Zheng said.

After listening to their words, I sighed and said, "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. You have only gained temporary peace. Even a small pebble can create ripples."

All six people stopped what they were doing and stared at me, saying in unison, "Yuehua, shut up."

I covered my mouth with my hand and walked towards the stream. I bent down and put my hands in the stream; the water was cool and refreshing, crystal clear, and occasionally a few fish swam among the water plants. I took off my shoes and stepped into the stream, hoping to catch a few fish. Just as I entered, I heard Kong Chaofu shout:

"Come on up, that's our drinker."

"Mr. Kong, the water we drink is upstream, but mine is downstream, so it doesn't affect our drinking water."

Kong Chaofu looked at both ends of the stream and said, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Li Bai glanced at me and said to Kong Chaofu, "This shows that your thinking is not broad enough, and you don't know how to make excuses for your actions. We should all learn from Yuehua in this respect."